Back Again For the First Time
by Dr. Magic PhD
Summary: Episode 2 in the "Complete" Series: The brothers get more than what they bargained for when they end up meeting their patriarch, a warlock! How can they work their way out alive?
1. Craziness

_Hi! Hopefully y'all read my first story, "A Complete Beginning: A New Prophecy." This is the second story in the series. I was inspired for a minute, so I started drafting something. Hope y'all like it!_

* * *

"You've got to be kidding!" Wesley said to James, who was busy arranging some candles into a circle. "You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can," James replied, not bothering to look up. "I can do whatever I want. I'm nineteen years old."

"That's besides the point," Wesley said. "We've been witches for like three days and now you want to conduct a séance? Not only is that weird, but it's gross. I'm not gonna be a part of that."

"Yes, you are," James said. "We all need to be here to do it. Besides, don't you want to talk to our real parents, or at least find out who your real father is?"

"As much as that sweetens the pot," Wesley said dryly, "I think not."

"I thought I'd find you here," Matthew said to Wesley as he walked into James' dorm room. "You two up for dinner?"

"Yes!" Wesley exclaimed, jumping up. "Anything to get me out of this! Matt, your brother's trying to do a séance."

"A séance?" Matthew asked. "Why?"

"Unlike you two," James said, "I'd like to find out more about my family, my _real_ family. I want to learn as much as I can. I would think that y'all would feel the same way."

"Yeah," Matthew said, "but I think you're going about it the wrong way. Don't you know that all kinds of things can go wrong?"

"Like what?" James said. "I'm following all the directions here in the Book. I have everything here, including the two of y'all. All that's left is to wait for midnight. What do you say?"

"Tell him no," Wesley said to Matthew.

"No," Matthew said.

"Good boy," Wesley said, patting Matthew's back. "Let's go eat."

Matthew and Wesley left James in his room and went to the school cafeteria. James stayed in his room, making sure that everything was in order before he left himself. He didn't understand why he was alone on this; surely his own brothers would want to know about their new family, their _real_ family. He wanted to, for sure. In fact, since finding out he was a witch a few days earlier, it seemed as though he had thrown himself into witchcraft, reading their ancient Book of Light in any spare time he had.

Just days ago, things had been a lot different. He was just a Resident Advisor, showing two freshmen around the campus, when all of a sudden he found out that he and those two people were witches. As a matter of fact, they were the most powerful witches the world would ever know. To top this, they were all brothers! James was slowly getting used to having two other people close to him, but he enjoyed having two other people whom he could really trust.

Now, he was going to conduct a séance, a ceremony to contact the dead. He wanted to communicate with Erik and Lauren, his birth parents who had been murdered in front of him by Astaroth, an assassin demon. He made sure everything was in place one more time before leaving his room to catch up with his new brothers.

* * *

_A quick note: I'm still writing this story, so if y'all have any ideas along the way, let me know!_


	2. Scolding

"This is the perfect opportunity," Ardad said, watching James' actions through the mysterious mist that floated in the center of a pentagram-shaped table.

"We will give him exactly what he wants," Mastiphal said, laughing evilly.

Mastiphal and Ardad were two of five hooded beings who made up the Council, the source of everything evil in the world. Along with Andras, Anamalech, and Tenebrion, they monitored the Complete constantly, waiting for any opportunity to destroy them. They were supposed to do so earlier, before they had come into their powers, but they proved themselves to be more formidable than they seemed. The Council now formed a new plan that would allow them to get rid of the Complete.

Since the Complete had come to be, the balance of good and evil had tipped dramatically in the favor of good. A prophecy was foretold that three would come together and free the world from all evil. James, Matthew, and Wesley were these three. The Council wanted to prevent this from happening at all costs because it ultimately meant their end.

"We must contact Thanos, the Angel of Death," Tenebrion said.

* * *

Wesley led his brothers to the dining hall; he was very hungry. He also didn't want to have anything to do with James and his "morbid" idea. He saw a fellow student sitting on the stairs across from the dining hall, studying diligently. Focusing slightly, Wesley flicked his hands at the student, who froze immediately in time. Wesley smiled at his actions; he had only been a witch for a short time, but he was already getting better with controlling his power to stop time. He was about to freeze another student when a strong force pulled him backwards.

"What the hell are you doing?" James asked, holding Wesley by the shirt. "You can't do that!"

"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked. "I'm practicing. I'm getting better. Watch this; you see that girl over there?"

"Don't you dare!" James whispered loudly to him. "We can't parade our powers like that. It's illegal."

"It's not illegal," Wesley protested. "It's justâ€wrong. Besides, there's nothing that says that I can't."

"Yes, there is," Matthew said. "There's Matt, and there's Jimmy."

"Hey," Wesley said, "just because we're brothers now doesn't give y'all the authority to boss me around."

"Sure it does," James said, inflating himself to look bigger than he really was. "Better get used to it."

"Better get used to _this_," Wesley said, smiling as he flicked his hands at James and Matthew, intending to freeze them. However, nothing happened. He tried twice more, but both times were just as futile as the first. He looked at his hands and then back at James and Matthew. "What's wrong with my powers? Y'all _broke_ my powers!"

"Maybe it just doesn't work on us," Matthew suggested. "But this isn't the time to talk about it. Let's eat."

The three of them found an empty table and sat there. James and Matthew explained the importance of keeping their supernatural side hidden from everybody. James emphasized the moral obligations and the responsibility. Most of their speech went through one of Wesley's ears and out of the other. He just sat there, staring at these two people who were now his _brothers_. He had always wanted older brothers, but he never really thought that it could happen.

He liked Matthew the most; probably because they were actual roommates. Matthew was always the one who seemed to take his side. Matthew wasn't as assertive as James, which Wesley liked. He didn't like to be ordered around, which was what James seemed to prefer doing. Did he really have to listen to them? After all, he was only sixteen years old. Why did he have to skip two grades in elementary school? If he hadn't, he'd be back in high school and none of this would ever have happened.

But it did. He _did_ skip those two grades and was thrown into college way before he felt he was ready. He continued to stare blankly into his brothers' faces as he kept thinking his thoughts about them. Although he hated James' authority-type personality, he had to admit that he did admire him. He would never admit it, though. Wesley liked how James always went into something not showing fear. He wished _he_ could learn that. He was so panicky that he felt that he received his power to stop time _because_ of that.

"And you have to understand," James continued, "that we all have our parts to play. We have to stick together, and the only way we're gonna be able to do that is if we trust each other"

James continued to talk and talk; his food was getting cold. Matthew, now like Wesley, was staring at James. His face had a look of interest in James' words, but in reality he was thinking about the same things as Wesley. Things were so different now for him. College was supposed to bring new things, but this was ridiculous! His eyes darted from James to Wesley. He liked Wesley because he brought comedy to any situation. He didn't too much care for his carelessness and absentmindedness, though. He liked James' confidence and persona because it was closer to his own.

Matthew felt stuck in the middle. It was probably the very last place he wanted to be. Between James' assertiveness and Wesley's rebelliousness, fights and arguments were almost always going to be guaranteed between the two of them. He definitely did not want to play the mediator between them; he had better things to do. He was determined to stay grounded and become a role model for both Wesley and James over time. He was, after all, the calm one.

"And that's all I have to say about it," James said, giving Wesley a stern nod.

"I'm sorry," Wesley said, snapping back to reality. "What were you saying?"

James rolled his eyes at his new youngest brother. Since finding out the truth about himself, Matthew, and Wesley, James had seemed to becomeâ€protective of his younger brothers. He took more of a liking to Matthew than he did Wesley just based on first impressions; he liked Wesley, but he couldn't stand Wesley's carelessness, absentmindedness, and utter lack of responsibility. On the other hand, he secretly admired Wesley's great confidence and ability to make people laugh, although he didn't too much appreciate that _he_ was usually the butt of Wesley's jokes.

James really liked Matthew's personality; it seemed to match more with his own. They had many things in common, such as a love for cars and football. Matthew seemed like he was more open to becoming family with James, whereas Wesley seemed a little harder to get close to. However, he was certainly going to try, especially since the three of them now had something in common; they were destined to save the world.

* * *

_Just when things were starting to get back to normal! What does the Angel of Death have to do with anything? Check back soon for an update! And if y'all have other ideas about where this story could go, I'm all ears!_


	3. The Summoning

_Thanx to Raya Halliwell and Powerof1P3PadfootsGrl for reviewing this story so far. I gotta admit I don't too much like where I'm taking it, so please e-mail me suggestions. I've opened up my e-mail address to the world!_

* * *

"I don't make deals with evil," Thanos, the Angel of Death, said to Mastiphal. "I am not evil. I am not good. I just _am_."

"This is not a deal," Mastiphal replied calmly. "This is something that we want you to do."

"And it is something that I do not wish to do," Thanos said. "I cannot stop my work just to help you. Considering that you are the Council, I especially do not wish to help anyone who wants to spread evil."

"By helping us," Tenebrion said, "you will increase the proportion of death in the world. Is that not what you want, death?"

"It is not my privilege to bring death to people," Thanos said. "Death is not meant as a punishment. It is a part of life, and therefore must be brought about naturally, or as naturally as possible."

"So guns, knives, drugs, and other mortal things are natural now?" Ardad asked.

"You miss the point," Thanos said, turning away from the Council. "Now I must leave. There are souls waiting to be delivered."

"They will wait," Andras said.

He mumbled a spell and Thanos was surrounded by a bright red light from which he could not escape. He waved his arm and Thanos was mysteriously raised into the air, hovering above the pentagram-shaped table, helpless and unable to do anything.

"What magic is this?" Thanos asked furiously. "You cannot keep me here! Without me, souls will not be able to move on. People will not be able to die! Release me at once!"

"Mastiphal," Anamalech said, "if people are not able to die, how can our plan succeed?"

"They may not be able to die," Mastiphal said, "but once Thanos is released, they will. Let us commence with our plan, with or without Thanos' help..."

* * *

James, Matthew, and Wesley sat in James' room in a circle. James had forced them inside with his telekinetic powers. After being yelled at by Wesley about how the double standard that had come into existence (James could use his powers openly, but Wesley couldn't), he convinced them to join him in his effort to contact the dead. In the middle of the three brothers was a circle of candles, all lit. In the midst of the candles was a large bowl that contained the necessary ingredients for the spell James would say. In the bowl were powdered sage, a sprig of rosemary, and a handful of dirt. Before James read the spell, he added the final three ingredients: a drop of blood from each of the three brothers.

"Oh no!" Wesley said, standing up. "I'm not donating any blood!"

"If you wanna do this," James said, "you have to cut your finger. It's just a prick."

"And so are you," Wesley shot back. "I don't like death, and you're making me just sit here and _talk _to it! If you were a _real_ brother, you'd respect my wishes."

"C'mon," Matthew said, softly but forcefully. "Wesley, sit down. Jimmy, shut up and keep going."

"But he..." Wesley started before being cut off.

Matthew grabbed Wesley's hand and poked his finger with his pocketknife. He squeezed Wesley's finger until a drop of blood fell into the bowl. Wesley did not say a word; he just sat there, upset at being outvoted. Matthew and James each cut their fingers and let a drop of their blood fall into the bowl. The moment all three brothers' blood had mixed with the other ingredients, a plume of smoke rose into the air. James read the spell:

_Blood to blood, we call to thee.  
Embrace us with your presence.  
Blood to blood, we summon thee.  
Send your spirit from the heavens._

A white light came from nowhere and began to fill the room. Meanwhile, the contents of the bowl disappeared in a cloud of smoke, which began to rise into the air and take the shape of a person. The light faded, once again leaving only the candles to illuminate the room. The smoke dissipated to reveal a person, a man. He looked to be in his thirties. He had long brown hair, tied back in a ponytail, and wore some very strange looking clothes. He looked down at the three brothers and laughed heartily.

"At last!" he said. "It has happened!"

"What has happened?" James asked. "And who the hell are you?"

"Not hell," the spirit corrected, "but heaven. I do not recall using the word 'hell' in my spell!"

"_Your_ spell?" Matthew asked. "_You_ wrote that spell?"

"Yes," the spirit said. "I am William White, your great-great-great...well it does not matter. I was born on October 29th, 1482."

"Hey!" Wesley exclaimed excitedly. "We have the same birthday! Well, mine's not 1482. It's more like 1983."

"You are the Complete, am I right?" William asked.

"Yes," James said, "but I think something's wrong. No offense or anything, but I didn't have you in mind when I said that spell. I was thinking of my..."

"Birth parents?" William asked. "I know. They are nice people. They are still adjusting to...well, being dead. The first thing you must learn as witches is that everything happens for a reason, just like there is a reason that I am here."

"Why?" Wesley asked.

* * *

_Why, indeed? Wesley always seems to be asking all the good questions! Y'all will all find out soon enough!_


	4. Stuck

"When I grew up," William began, "I learned that my mother was a witch and my father was a warlock. My father, Matthias, killed my mother, Patricia, and stole her power of copycat. I..."

"What's copycat?" Wesley asked.

"The person who possesses copycat," William explained, "has the ability to copy any power used against him or her. In addition, that person becomes immune to that power."

"That sounds a lot better than what I have now," Wesley complained.

"As I was saying," William continued, "I vanquished Matthias unknowingly the day he killed my mother. Her love for me managed to keep me alive and give me the power to vanquish him. For a long time, I feared that he would come back and take revenge on me and my family. But he did not, which made me worry. He was the most powerful warlock of his time. Even in death, I felt that he might come back. It was not until much later that I realized his master plan. They _do_ say that in death, all of life's questions are answered.

"Being half-witch and half-warlock, I lived a torn life. I was scorned by both witches and demons for being a 'half-breed.' I had to take my family into hiding. Eventually, we earned the trust of the community through the Prophecy, which I received as an infant. We persisted in warding off evil forces, slowly winning everyone over. Throughout the generations, the evil side has been suppressed to the point that most people do not even realize that they have it. Good has spread through our family tree...from me.

"But now that I have been brought here, outside my own time, I must warn you that Matthias may be here. He, too, is aware of the Prophecy, and I fear that he will try to kill you, the Complete, for you alone pose the only threat to evil."

"Great," Wesley sighed, "another job. How did he get here when you killed him five hundred years ago?"

"I do not know," William said. "However, I do know that if he is here, he will stop at nothing to kill each of you. He has great power, so take great caution."

William looked up to the sky, as if he was going to return to the spirit realm, but nothing happened. Each of the three brothers stared at him as he tried to leave their presence. Nothing happened. Slowly, his body began to become solid and he sank to the ground. He looked around, confused.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Matthew asked.

"No," William responded. "Something has gone terribly wrong."

* * *

_What's happened now? William can't go back to...heaven. He's stuck there with his how-ever-many-greats grandkids. Stay tuned to find out more!_


	5. Another Can of Worms

_Just wanted to say thanx to the people who have been reviewing my story so far. I like the suggestions, so bear with me as I 'modify' things a little bit..._

* * *

In the realm of the Council, black smoke filled the already dark room as a sinister looking man appeared, slightly confused about his new location. He looked at the five members of the Council, sneering. He then saw Thanos hovering above them, trapped in the strange red light. He recognized Thanos immediately; they had met some five hundred years ago.

"Where am I?" the man asked, quickly examining his surroundings. "What is this place?"

"Matthias White," Anamalech said. "Welcome to the year 2000."

"2000?" Matthias asked. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"No," Thanos said from his prison. "They have used me to bring you from your time. It..."

"Silence!" Ardad ordered. "Matthias, I admit that we _did_ use Thanos to bring you here. However, the reason is of the utmost importance."

"Why do you summon me outside of my time?" Matthias asked. "And what do you call yourselves?"

"We are the Council of Evil," Andras said. "We are the most powerful beings of evil in existence, because of you."

"Because of _me_?" Matthias asked.

"Believe it or not," Tenebrion continued, ignoring Matthias' question, "you were actually summoned by your latest descendants, who are _good_ witches."

"_Good_ _witches_!?" Matthias exclaimed as his eyes glowed a fierce red. "My descendants are good witches? How can that be?"

"The Prophecy is coming true," Mastiphal said. Upon hearing Mastiphal's words, Matthias yelled in a furious rage and the air around him began to smoke.

"Where are they?" Matthias demanded.

"You will find them in a place called 'college,'" Andras said. "Find them and kill them. They are new to the Craft, so they will pose no threat to you."

"And," Tenebrion added, "killing them will end the Prophecy and restore your reputation as the most powerful warlock of your time."

* * *

William stood in the dormitory room, confused. His body was no longer transparent, but now solid. James had given him a pair of his clothes so that he would look more normal. Now he was left with Wesley; the other two had class.

"So you think that the Angel of Death is being..._detained_?" Wesley asked skeptically.

"For lack of a better word," William replied, "yes. He delivers souls to the Beyond. Without him, nobody will die. The gates between life and death have been closed."

"Interesting," Wesley said, scratching his head. "Let me ask you this; can you tell me who my father is? You know, my _real_ father?"

"I can," William said, "but I will not. I was asked not to tell you."

"Why?" Wesley whined.

"It is your destiny to find out yourself," William said.

"Stupid destiny," Wesley muttered to himself. "Who the hell makes up these stupid rules?"

"So," William said, "your power is stopping time? A great power, indeed. It saved me from a lot of demons."

"You have...uh, had...the same power as me?" Wesley asked. "I like it a lot, but it seems to be completely defensive, you know? I mean, I can't really do anything with it. Jimmy can throw people across the room. I need something like that. Then maybe I wouldn't be so scared all the time."

"Your powers were not given to you at random," William explained. "They were given to each of you for a reason. They complement your personality. And believe it or not, they will change as you adapt to them."

"Change?" Wesley asked. "How?"

"At first," William said, "I could freeze time. Then, as I worked on my power, I became able to freeze whole places. Eventually, my powers advanced to the point where I could not only stop time, but explode things as well. Your power works by slowing molecules to the point where they stop moving. By speeding them up, you cause them to explode."

"Yeah!" Wesley said. "That's what I want!"

"Your powers are unique," William said. "That happened for me. You are different. Your powers may advance differently."

"Turn on the news!" Matthew shouted, walking into the room. "You won't believe it!"

* * *

_From the Doc: What won't they believe? I'm sorry to say y'all might have to wait for a couple days while I figure out what exactly it is that they won't believe! Sorry, but that's the way writing goes! Meanwhile, feel free to read the prequel to this story, "A Complete Beginning," and review that one! Cheers!_


	6. More Bad News

_Big thanx to everybody who has reviewed (and re-reviewed) this story so far! I genuinely and sincerely appreciate it! Keep 'em coming, 'cuz that's what keeps me writing! And I like everybody's ideas about the story. Look out for them either later in this story or in following stories (that's right; I'm not even close to done yet!)_

* * *

"..._This is Jessica Morrison with channel 8 news. I am here at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where everyone is completely baffled! It seems that people are almost refusing to die! Doctors have told me that there are patients here whose families have decided to discontinue their life support, but the patients are remaining alive! No one is quite sure how this apparent miracle is happening, but some believe that a strange cure has been accidentally stumbled upon..._"

"Miracle my ass," Wesley said. "If they only knew..."

"At least nobody suspects anything supernatural," Matthew said. "We need to do something before the cat's out of the bag."

"Turn on the news!" James yelled, running into the room. "Y'all won't..."

"Believe it," the other three said, finishing James' sentence.

"Oh," James said, rather dejectedly. "William, what are we gonna do?"

"It is obvious now that Thanos' detainment is affecting the world," William said. "We must find him and free him, or else there may be more trouble."

Just then, William grabbed his head; it seemed as if someone had mercilessly struck him in the head with a titanium bat. He fell to the floor, writhing in pain. For a short while, no one knew what exactly to make of the situation, but seeing that William's pain was not going to go away anytime soon, James finally made the first move.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's...Matthias!" William said with great pain. "H-He's h-h-here..."

"Here?" Wesley asked, frantically searching around the room.

"In...your...t-t-time," William said. "I-I can sen...sense him. His p-power..."

"William," Matthew said, trying to pull William from the floor, "you have to concentrate. Pull yourself together."

After William managed to stand up, a dark aura surrounded him, casting Matthew back into James and Wesley. William's eyes flashed a dark red as he began to take on a more sinister appearance. He no longer looked like the cheery and optimistic William they had met before. Now, he looked like he was Evil itself. Wesley opened his mouth to say something, but for once, nothing came out.

Suddenly, William's appearance reverted back to its original state, leaving the three brothers confused. He seemed like he was struggling to maintain himself, but was fighting a losing battle.

"G-Get out of here!" William said quickly before going back into darkness.

"What?" James asked, unsure of what was going on.

William, eyes dark red now, flicked his hands at James, who was standing in front of Matthew and Wesley. The air exploded right in front of James; the impact threw him and his brothers into a table, shattering it instantly. James recovered the quickest and swung his arm mightily, telekinetically throwing William onto Matthew's bed. William sprang to his feet and cracked his neck slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. He prepared to tap into his exploding power again when Wesley gestured towards him. He stopped moving instantly.

"Uh oh," Wesley said. "That's not good."

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked.

"William told me," Wesley said, "that my power didn't affect other good witches. He wouldn't tell my why, though. You know, I don't understand why everything has to be a mystery. It's like..."

"Shut up!" James and Matthew shouted.

William began to twist his way out of Wesley's freeze. Soon, he was moving fully again, hands at the ready. Before he could do anything, Matthew launched himself onto William and began punching him in the chest. As a boxer, Matthew had quite a lot of strength and almost seemed to be enjoying the fight.

"Remind me to never get on his bad side," Wesley said under his breath.

Matthew was about to hit William one last time, but William blinked out of sight, leaving Matthew to punch the air. He got up, breathing hard and smiling slightly.

"What the hell was that?" James asked.

"I don't know," Matthew said, panting, "but I have a feeling that things are about to get worse."

* * *

_Doc says: So I've started changing the plot a little bit now. Bear with me as I go thru that most utterly horrible disease known to man...writer's block. Don't worry, though. I got some pills that I take...after they wear off I'll be able to tell y'all how worse things will get!_


	7. Not Again!

"Where am I?" William asked, examining his surroundings.

He was in a dark place, lit with a few torches here and there. Ominous smoke filled the entire place; it seemed to be perpetually foggy. There was a faint odor of rotting flesh, but it didn't seem to come from any particular direction. In fact, it seemed that William was standing in the middle of nothing. There were no doors to other places, there were no openings in sight, and William had no idea of where he was. He felt disoriented and lost, until a voice called out to him.

"Hello, son," the voice said slowly, echoing through the room.

"Matthias!" William shouted, "what have you done to me?"

"The question is," the voice countered, "what have _you_ done to _yourself_?"

"I have no time for games," William said, looking up.

He began to blink out of the room, but the walls briefly glowed red and William appeared on the ground. He stood back up and tried again, but the same things happened; he reappeared on the ground, shaken up.

"Show yourself, Matthias," William challenged. "Do not act like a coward."

"I am no coward," the voice boomed. "Do not forget that it is I from whom you come. I alone have the power to control you, and you will do as I say. Your power is great, but mine is unparalleled. And this is just the beginning..."

At that moment, all of William's fears had been realized. His warlock half, which he had suppressed all his life, was being forced back into action by Matthias. Now, it was only a matter of time before his witch half and his warlock half would come into conflict. Only one side would be able to win...

* * *

Days had passed and the three brothers had finished their first week of college. However, they spent most of their time worrying about William's strange disappearing act. Between classes, they were all absorbed in their Book of Light (even Wesley), looking for anything that could help get William back on their side.

"He was definitely being possessed," James said, using his power to flip through the pages quickly. "But by who?"

"Matthias," Matthew said. "It's obvious. If he's as powerful as William said, then he must be the one who is behind all of this. The big question is how do we get rid of Matthias?"

"Maybe if we figure out how he got here," Wesley suggested, "then we can work on shipping his ass back home."

"It's a start," James said. "Hey, didn't I tell you not to do that?"

Wesley was more engrossed in throwing things in the air and freezing them in time. It was just by coincidence that he had thrown in his suggestion at that time. He was having too much fun watching things hang motionless in midair.

"But you're using your power to flip through the Book," he protested. "Matt, what do you think?"

"I think that you're both being stupid and that we need to focus on the task at hand," Matthew said dryly as he took the Book from James.

"Jimmy," Wesley said, "stop bossing me around all the time. You've known me for a few days, not a lifetime! You can't just come in and...and..._rule me_!"

"I'm not trying to 'rule you,'" James said. "As your brother, I'm just trying to help you."

"And there's that word again," Wesley said. "You can't be my _brother_ unless you're my friend. And lately, dude, you've been way too bossy for me."

"If I come off as bossy," James said in an intimidating tone, "then it's only because I don't want anything to happen to any of us, so..."

"So doing what _you_ say will keep us all safe?" Wesley asked. "Meanwhile, William got taken right in front of our eyes. What do you have to say about that?"

"Okay," Matthew said, "that's enough now. Back to your corners. From now on _I'll_ be calling the shots around here."

"Matt," Wesley started to say.

"I said sit!" Matthew exclaimed calmly. Both James and Wesley sat down. "You two have been getting on my nerves for a week now. It should be clear that all of our personalities are different. What's annoying is that you two take the simplest little thing and blow it up into something not worth anything. I've said this a million times already; I will _not_ be playing the mediator in this relationship. Understand?"

Of course Matthew was right. Wesley and James had been getting into the pettiest of arguments for no particular reasons at all. Sometimes Matthew believed that they just wanted to hear themselves talk. He was starting to get sick of it. He wanted to just put his boxing gloves on and take both of them out.

In fact, that feeling shot through his mind every time James and Wesley argued. It was a strange feeling that almost seemed to overcome his senses. Sure, he had those feelings, but it was always out of brotherly love, wasn't it? He couldn't answer. He also couldn't account for the strange feeling. It was a feeling of pure malice, a desperate need for revenge, a want for power. It felt almost...evil.

At his last words, his eyes flashed red briefly and then everything was back to normal. He hadn't noticed, but both James and Wesley took a step back.

"What?" Matthew asked.

"Your eyes," Wesley said, "they turned red for a second, just the way William's did."

"No they didn't," Matthew replied. "I didn't notice anything."

"It definitely happened," James said. "Whatever got William is trying to get you, too."

* * *

_Spooky, isn't it? What's wrong with Matthew? Why don't y'all come up with some ideas and review a couple hundred times and then I'll tell y'all! Or at least until I can figure out what's going on in the next chapter, whichever comes first!_


	8. Crossing Over

"Bull," Matthew said. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just tired of you two arguing all the time."

"We don't argue," Wesley insisted, "Jimmy just won't agree with me...ever."

"That's because you're never right...ever," James shot back.

"Are you kidding me?" Wesley asked. "You always come up with the stupidest ideas I've ever heard of. In fact, if I'm right, which I always am, this whole big disaster is a _direct_ result of you doing yet another stupid thing."

"It's not my fault," James said.

"Isn't it?" Wesley replied. "You wanted to 'summon' dead people just for the sake of seeing if you could do it. Meanwhile, I try to practice with this weird power and I get yelled at by the likes of you, of both of y'all. The fact that I'm younger than y'all doesn't give either of y'all any authority over me."

"You could use some," James said under his breath, but deliberately loud enough for Wesley to hear.

"Well," Wesley said quite calmly, "since you want to be the brains behind this whole thing, why don't you just proceed without me. I'm going out."

"Where are you going?" Matthew asked.

"Away," Wesley said, grabbing his keys and closing the door behind him.

"What a dick," James said to Matthew, who seemed to not be paying any more attention. "Matt? Matt? You there?"

Matthew's face looked blank. He didn't move an inch. It was as if Wesley had frozen him, but James knew that that wasn't what had happened. Then, Matthew suddenly shook his head, like he was trying to shake something out of his hair. He looked strangely at James. His eyes flashed red again and went back to normal. James took another step back.

"Matt," he said, "something's definitely wrong with you. Your eyes flashed again."

"This time I felt it," Matthew said. "I never thought anything was wrong, though. I mean, I always get that feeling when I boxed. I just passed it off as aggression, but now I think it's something else."

"Maybe the Book has something in it," James said, taking the Book of Light from Matthew.

James flipped through the Book again, looking for anything that could give information about Matthew's condition. However, the Book was centuries old and did not have a table of contents, so finding anything took a great amount of time. Some of the pages had neat entries while others only contained what looked like indecipherable chicken scratch. It was going to be hard for any of them to get used to the Book.

James, having no idea of what to look for, gave up and threw the Book on the table. He stared into space for a second, hoping that some sort of inspiration would just hit him. But nothing happened. Finally, Matthew started to take the Book and flip through it himself, but as he reached out for it, the Book glowed faintly and Matthew was forced away from it.

"Jimmy," he said. "What's wrong with the Book? I can't touch it."

"That's retarded," James said. "The Book only repels itself from evil, and you're not..."

"Evil?" Matthew asked. "Me? Why? How?"

Just then, Matthew felt dizzy. The world around him began to spin out of control. He had no control over what was happening to him. What he was feeling at that moment wasn't clear to him; it was a combination of emotions. It was a little bit of anxiety, some anger, a bit of frustration, and a lot of rage. The same thing had happened to him before, but this time it was much stronger and he didn't think he would be able to fight it again.

"Matt!" James shouted, shaking him. "Snap out of it!"

"Snap out of _this_!" Matthew suddenly said. Even his voice had changed.

Matthew grabbed James' hand and twisted it, almost breaking it in the process. He threw James across the room, making him slam into the wall. James only stared at Matthew. Why was he acting like this, he thought to himself. First William, then Wesley, now Matthew. He didn't want to get thrown again, so he reached out and used his power to pin Matthew against the opposite wall. He slowly approached his younger brother.

"Matt," he said, "whatever's happening to you, you have to fight it. Do you hear me? Fight it, Matt!"

"Why fight it?" Matthew said in almost the same way William spoke when he turned evil. "Can't you see what's happening? I've been freed. Now, let me go."

"No," James said. "Not until the real Matt comes back. I need at least one brother on my side here."

"On the contrary," Matthew said, eyes fully red now. "We need one last brother on _our_ side..."

With a great effort, Matthew willed himself free from James' telekinetic hold over him. He swung fiercely at James, hitting him right in the stomach. James doubled over in pain; he had been in plenty of fights, but he had never been hit as hard as that. Matthew wasted no time and kneed James in the face, throwing him back upright. He scored another hit, this time on James' face, knocking him back. He swung again, but James ducked and countered with a punch of his own to Matthew's chest. He grabbed Matthew and forced him into a headlock, trying desperately to bring the good Matthew back.

"Matt," he said, struggling, "you have to fight it!"

"No!" Matthew said, trying to break free. "You need to embrace it!"

Matthew's body became transparent as he phased out of James' hold. Catching James off guard, Matthew kicked him square in the chest, sending him crashing into a bookshelf. Before he could advance again, James waved his hand and Matthew flew backwards and landed on the floor with a thud.

* * *

_My word! A fight between Jimmy and Matt? How precocious! Coming up next: Wesley has left the building, but can he survive, not knowing what lies in the supernatural world? Also, a slight insight is given into his family tree (emphasis on 'slight')..._


	9. A Night In The Park

"Who needs them?" Wesley asked himself as he pulled into the parking lot of the park. "This whole brother thing is just somebody's sick attempt at humor. And I _know_ humor, and it's _not_ funny..." 

Wesley got out of the car and closed it gently; he had no reason to take his aggression out on his car. He took his sketchpad out of his backpack and set off towards the middle of the park.

Wesley had a genuine love of nature. He liked to look at majestic trees as they towered over the rest of the landscape. He liked to watch squirrels and birds zip past him, living from tree to tree. He just liked all of that. Luckily for him, a park/nature trail was not far away from Oxford College. It was about a ten minute drive up the road from the college. Called Oxford Park (it wasn't a very original name), it was constructed around a nature trail that had been worn in over one hundred years ago. Completely untouched otherwise, it had since become home to many animals, including deer, raccoons, and various birds.

Wesley decided to draw to take his mind off of James and Matthew. He liked them, he really did, but sometimes it just seemed that they (and the rest of the world) were always against him. If he did want brothers, he certainly didn't want there to be an odd number of them. He hated being the minority, literally and figuratively.

He found a nice spot in the shade of a gigantic oak tree and began to draw. He didn't care what his pencil drew; as long as he was doing something productive. Of course, he could have been doing homework, but it was the weekend and whoever heard of anyone doing homework then? The evening sky brought a cool breeze of wind as a group of fallen leaves whistled past Wesley's ear. After what seemed like an eternity, he looked at what he had managed to draw.

He never was a good artist. Even _he_ had no idea what it was that he had scribbled on the paper. It looked like a cross between a soda bottle, a pair of scissors, and trash. Sighing, he put the sketchpad back in his backpack and decided to lie down and watch the sunset. Coming from Dallas, a big city, he never really had a chance to see an actual sunset that didn't have any light pollution. Oxford, Georgia was in the country, giving him a clear view of what lie in the heavens.

He had just become comfortable when he heard an unusual rustling from behind a bush about ten feet away. He jumped up, hoping it was just a deer. He had seen too many horror movies where the person who heard the commotion always went to investigate and died a horrible death moments later. He was smarter than that; he packed up his backpack and began to head for his car. The sound only grew louder as he walked faster. It sounded like something had started following him. He tried his best to ignore it, but the sound, combined with his fear, overcame him. He stopped and quickly turned around, flashing his hands at whatever was there. He breathed a sigh of relief to see that he had frozen small deer.

He relaxed as he turned back around to go to his car. Standing in front of him now was a man, who looked a little bit like Matthew about the face. He had very dark features and seemed very intimidating. What caught Wesley's attention, though, was that the man hadn't been there before. He hadn't made any noise, which led Wesley to believe that something _supernatural_ was going on. How he hated that word...

The man's eyes flashed red and Wesley was launched high into the air, slamming into the trunk of the oak tree he had sat under moments ago. With the wind knocked out of him, he struggled to regain his composure. The man was relentless; he threw Wesley into the trunk of another tree some twenty feet away.

"Who the hell are you?" Wesley asked, doubled over in pain.

"Do you not recognize family?" the man asked.

"Family?" Wesley asked. "You're not any family to me." Then it hit him. "Uh oh..."

"I see your brain has, what is it you say?" the man asked, rubbing his chin. "I believe the term is 'kicked in?'"

"Stop with the jokes," Wesley said dryly, managing to stand to his feet. "What do you want with me, Matthias?"

"You are obviously the youngest one," Matthias said. He spoke as though he didn't hear Wesley's question. "You have proven most difficult for me to control. It must be because of your..._difference_."

"_Difference_?" Wesley asked. "Is this about me being black? I mean, are you kidding me?"

"I am hardly one to joke," Matthias said in a monotone voice. "At any rate, I will end your line, whether or not it descends from me."

"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked.

But it was too late. Matthias had conjured a green ball of flickering light in his hand and thrown it at Wesley. Wesley threw his hands up and the mysterious projectile froze in midair. Wesley smiled slightly at his accomplishment. He looked at Matthias and gave him a 'ha ha' look. Matthias clapped his hands slowly.

"Bravo," he said darkly. "But the real question is, how long can you last?"

Matthias produced two more balls of green light, one in each hand, and threw them at Wesley. Panicking, he threw up his hands once again and both attacks were stopped in midair. He had no time to think, as Matthias kept throwing more green balls at him, forcing him to keep using his power. Before Wesley realized it, he was completely surrounded by the green balls; there was no way to wiggle out of their path.

"Exactly what I thought," Matthias said. "Do not wait for me; I shall return shortly."

With that, Matthias suddenly blinked and was gone.

* * *

_Oh no, just when Wesley thought it couldn't get any worse...now Matthias is back in the mix, and he's not playin' around! In the next chapter, Jimmy and Matt reach a standstill in their brawl, while Wesley tries to figure a way out of his predicament. Will any of them survive? Y'all just have to wait!_


	10. Brotherly Love

_Thanx for the compliment, Powerof1P3PadfootsGrl. I guess you'll just have to bite your tongue and stick high school out. Raya, a pleasure as always. Corey, you should e-mail me your spells and stuff so I can use them in my stories, you know, unless you're using them for your own stuff._

* * *

"You're tough," Matthew said, getting up from the floor, "but I'm tougher."

"Dream on," James said, flexing his biceps. "I'll take you any day."

Matthew's eyes flashed as he jumped on top of James with supernatural prowess. He elbowed James in the nose and followed it with an intense punch to his face, sending blood spewing from James' nose and mouth. James caught Matthew's hand and twisted it so that Matthew was turned away from him. Then James kicked him in the back, sending him crashing into his desk. Matthew turned around, panting, to face James once again. Before moving, he noticed James' eyes flash red briefly before returning to normal.

James, staring at Matthew, tried to anticipate his next move. He knew that Matthew was under some evil spell, but he was still his younger brother, new or not. However, that logic got lost in his head as his eyes flashed. His sense of morality suddenly became twisted and he felt like all he wanted to do was fight. He had never felt so pumped in his life. Adrenaline had seemed to replace all the blood in his system; he was working off of pure power now. It was the same feeling that went through Matthew. He thrust his hand forward and Matthew was thrown violently into a wall, creating a Matthew-shaped imprint.

Before either of them could do anything else, they both noticed the Book of Light start to glow. While they had always known it to glow white, this time it shone an eerie red color as it began to shake. It opened itself and an invisible force was flipping furiously through it. Then it closed, showing the front cover.

After James, Matthew, and Wesley had found each other, the Book of Light had revealed its secrets to them. On the front cover, the legendary symbol of the Complete, three intertwining circles (there were two on top and one slightly lower between them), had been magically etched, each circle representing one of the brothers. The symbol represented the link that one brother had with the other two. Though the design was simple, it was a source of unimaginable power.

Now, the Book showed three circles that were no longer joined. James, Matthew, and Wesley had disconnected from each other, breaking the very bonds that made them who they were. James went to open the Book, but the same force that had repelled Matthew earlier did the same to him. They both realized what was happening to them at that moment.

"Uh oh," James said. "I think we're turning evil. Aw, crap!"

* * *

"Aw, crap!" Wesley said to himself as he stood helplessly in the center of a mass of energy balls, all frozen in time.

He was trying desperately to think of a way to escape. Because his powers were still new to him, he knew that it was only a matter of time before all of Matthias' energy ball would unfreeze and resume their flights. He had nowhere to go; he was completely surrounded and in the middle of the park. It was already nighttime and with no streetlights around, the only thing that was providing light were the energy balls. Wesley whimpered to himself as he gave up and began thinking one thought over and over in his mind: _I'm gonna die! Right here, and right now!_

Then it hit him; he _couldn't_ die! He remembered that Thanos was still trapped by the Council. While he was still there, nobody could die. He took pride in remembering what William had told him earlier. He felt better for a moment until he realized that even though he couldn't _die_, he could still _feel pain_. The very thought made him wince; he hated anything that hurt. Still, he had to get out of this predicament and back to his dorm room. He took a deep breath and unfroze the energy balls. He closed his eyes, expecting the worst...

* * *

"So we're evil," Matthew said. "Doesn't it feel great?"

"Actually," James said, "it does. It's kind of weird. Now I feel like I can do anything!"

"That's because now you _can_," Matthew said. "Can't you see that this is what was supposed to happen? If we're half warlock, there's no way that we could be good forever."

"You have a point," James said. "So what do we do now?"

"Weren't you listening?" Matthew asked. "We can do anything we want!"

"Wesley," James said. His eyes flashed red again. "Let's find our little brother."

"Right behind you," Matthew said.

As if they had done it all the time, both James and Matthew blinked out of the dorm room. It had never crossed their minds that they were now blinking. Evil had taken control of their senses; it was governing each and every one of their actions. Now they were out to find Wesley, to teach him a lesson...

* * *

_Oh boy, Jimmy and Matt are on the rampage. On the plus side, at least they resolved their differences with each other! Coming up in the next chapter, William makes a return, but has his own inner demons to fight; Wesley taps into a new power, but doesn't know he does... It may give insight into his true heritage, but it may not. It makes perfect sense to me, though! Oh well... Stay tuned!_


	11. The Confrontation

_Thanx so much to the faithful few who read and review my stuff. It really means a lot to me, especially since I'm creeping up on that monumental 20th review! How exciting! So exciting that I decided to post 2 chapters! Meanwhile, I just wanted to say thanx and that my berfday is this month (October). I'll be checking for presents..._

* * *

Matthias sat in silence, meditating deeply. Using his magic, he had been able to unlock James' and Matthew's warlock halves. Wesley, however, was a difference picture. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't find the evil hidden within Wesley. So he decided to leave him to die in the park. It was a win-win situation for him; either way, at least Wesley would die and end the threat of the Complete's Prophecy.

His meditation was broken by William's sudden appearance. William had finally managed to break out of captivity by fully tapping into his warlock half. As a result, he had become consumed with rage and an intense longing for revenge. He had always hated his father for killing his mother, but that hatred had been magnified many times over, thanks to his uncontrollable rage.

"Hello, _father_," he said, startling Matthias. "Did you think you could keep me captive for long?"

"No," Matthias said, turning to face him. "However, I knew that if I invoked your better half, that is to say _my_ half, then you would eventually come to your senses."

"I have no senses now," William said coldly. "My only desire is to vanquish you once and for all."

Almost immediately, William flicked both his hands at Matthias, tapping into his power to explode things. Matthias' body jerked once, then burst into countless pieces of flesh that scattered across the ground. However, William's feeling of satisfaction was short-lived as Matthias' remains began to reconstitute themselves. Moments later, Matthias was once again standing in front of William.

"Your rage has obviously clouded your judgment," Matthias said, smiling. "You forget about my power of copycat. Now, what was that thing you did with your hands?"

Matthias, having copied William's exploding power, now flicked his hands at William. As William had done with James before, the air exploded in front of William and the impact threw him mercilessly into one of the stone walls. He slumped to the ground, hurting but still conscious. Matthias raised his hands again, but William quickly blinked out of sight. He reappeared behind Matthias and kicked him with all of his might. Matthias fell to the ground.

William was about to attack again, but a strange feeling overcame him. The good side of William was still very much alive inside him, and was fighting fiercely to reclaim control. His eyes went back to normal for a moment, but the redness returned and a voice echoed inside his head.

"_You cannot stop me!_" the voice boomed. "_Evil is a part of you! It cannot be destroyed!_"

"_Maybe not_," William's good half argued, "_but it can be conquered!_"

William's body shook as good and evil clashed within him. Matthias, who had recoiled, watched on with amusement. William's eyes were now switching constantly from red to gray. His good side was struggling to overcome his dark side, but his dark side was so strong that it seemed impossible. That only made his good side fight even harder. He was determined not to give in to evil, especially when his descendants' lives were at stake.

* * *

Wesley's body disappeared in a shower of white lights. In that moment, all of the energy balls converged, creating a giant explosion and a shockwave that rocked all the trees in the vicinity. Wesley reappeared in the same shower of lights in the same place, unaware that anything had happened. He felt somewhat dizzy and disoriented, but he blamed it on getting hit by all of the energy balls. What was so strange, he thought, was that he hadn't felt a thing! Perhaps not being able to die wasn't so bad after all...

He let out a huge sigh of relief and ran to his car, anxious to get to the bottom of things. Just as he got his key in the ignition, James and Matthew appeared from out of nowhere, just as Matthias had earlier. They stood on both sides of him.

"Don't _do_ that!" Wesley shouted, jumping from fright. "Y'all scared the hell out of me! Wait! How did y'all get here?"

"It doesn't matter," James said, waving his hand.

Wesley was thrown away from the car, landing on the concrete ground. He managed to fall on his behind, minimizing the pain, but Matthew wasn't as generous. He grabbed Wesley by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He threw his younger brother back toward James, who caught him and pinned him against his car, hands clasped tightly around his throat.

"You think I'm stupid, don't you?" James asked, his eyes a fierce red color. "You think that everything is my fault? You think I don't know what I'm doing?"

"N-No!" Wesley said quickly between breaths. "I c-can't br-breathe!"

"That's the point," James said. "Hey, Matt, how about a little help over here!"

"I thought you'd never ask," Matthew said, walking over to them. "Still think all we do is 'rule you?' You're about to see the extent of our authority."

Matthew punched Wesley hard in the stomach while James still held him by the throat. They laughed as Wesley groaned in pain. Matthew punched him again; he enjoyed hitting Wesley. James finally let go of his throat and he slumped to the ground, gasping for air. Before he could make sense of anything, James kicked him in the side, making him jerk in pain.

"What's wrong with y'all?" Wesley asked, groaning. "What did I do?"

"It's not a question of what you did," Matthew said. "It's more like what you didn't do."

"Meaning what?" Wesley asked.

"Meaning that you didn't listen to me," James said, pulling Wesley from the ground and throwing him against the side of his car. "Meaning that you didn't care about our parents, or us for that matter."

"That's crazy talk," Wesley said as calmly as he could. "Of course I listen to you, Jimmy. I listen to both of y'all. And I care about our parents. And I care about y'all. Where are y'all getting this trash from?"

"I've heard enough from you," James said. He motioned with his hand and Wesley was lifted high into the air, helpless.

"Jimmy!" Wesley cried. "Stop! Whatever is controlling you and Matt, y'all have to fight it now! Do y'all hear me? Fight it!"

"Nothing is controlling us," Matthew said. "We've just had a change of opinion."

"Please," Wesley said in a determined tone. "Don't do this. It's not right."

They ignored Wesley's pleas as James used his power to lift Wesley higher and higher into the air. Being afraid of heights, Wesley was starting to become queasy. Trying to figure a way out of the situation, he flicked his hands, hoping for any kind of effect. To his surprise, both James and Matthew froze in place. Wesley fell from the air, landing on the roof of his car. He jumped down, still in a lot of pain. He examined his two brothers closely. Both of their eyes were a deep red color, the same as William's. He muttered a quick apology and grabbed an electric taser from his car. He kept it in cases of emergencies.

He hesitated a little before turning it on. He took a deep breath and pressed it into Matthew's side, sending 100,000 volts surging through his brother's body. Matthew collapsed to the ground. He turned and did the same thing to James. After they had both been taken care of, Wesley jumped in his car and sped back to his dorm room, hoping that the Book of Light would have something that was of help. He acted quickly; he knew that he was working on borrowed time.

* * *

_Interesting, huh? At least I thought so... Coming up next chapter: the authority figure changes as Wesley makes his way back to his dorm room. Can he make it back before his brothers come to and find him again?_


	12. Reunited Somewhat

_Hey, sorry it took so long to update. I've been busy and stuff. In addition to writing stories online, I also like to, you know, have a life and/or enjoy it! Thanx to all the readers for gracing this story with 20 reviews!!! That makes me happy!_

* * *

Wesley ran into his dorm and stopped. There was debris everywhere. Both his and Matthew's desks were in pieces, their beds were destroyed, books and papers were everywhere and there was a Matthew-shaped hole imprinted in one of the walls. He sighed, thinking about how much more his tuition was going to rise once the college found out about this disaster area. He shook his head and found the Book, hidden under pieces of wood and a few papers. He saw the front cover and realized that everything was completely wrong. The three intertwined circles that represented him and his brothers were no longer joined, but separated, resting in different corners of the cover. He flipped through the pages, wishing desperately that something good would happen to him for once.

Suddenly, the pages began to flip of their own accord. He almost broke his neck turning around; he thought that James was standing right behind him. Seeing no one, he turned back to the Book. It was turned to a page that had a spell to resolve conflict. He read through the verses over and over again, forcing himself to memorize it. Just as he had learned the last part of it, James and Matthew blinked into the room.

"How was your nap?" Wesley asked, backing away.

"Shockingly refreshing," James said.

"Or refreshingly shocking," Matthew added.

"Cute," Wesley said. "Well, it's time to say goodbye to your bad parts, so try not to miss them too much.

"_Free the evil.  
Release the anger.  
Let their pain be cast adrift."_

As the final words left Wesley's mouth, a slight breeze began to stir inside the room. It blew around James and Matthew for a second, then everything was back to normal. Their eyes returned to their normal colors and they looked around the room, now realizing what they had done.

"Oh no," James said. "Did we do all of this?"

"Yeah," Wesley said harshly, "and don't expect me to pay for any of it!"

"It was weird," Matthew said. "It's like all I felt was rage. I didn't care about anything else."

"Me too," James agreed. "Definitely strange."

"If that's y'all's way of apologizing," Wesley said, "don't waste your breath. There are more important things to deal with now. William is off somewhere being evil, Matthias is off somewhere else being evil_er_, and the Death guy is being held God knows where. And to top it off, I'm not too fond of either of y'all right now... So, since there's no spell in this Book to handle Matthias, y'all need to come up with one. That will be your punishment."

"What are you talking about?" James asked.

"I didn't stutter," Wesley shot back quickly. "Dig through this disaster area, find a pen and paper, and get to writing! Now!"

"And what will you be doing?" James asked.

"_I_," Wesley said slowly, "will be going to the hospital for a back brace. What do you _think_ I'll be doing!? I'm gonna look in the Book for other clues!"

"When did _he_ turn into the boss?" James muttered to Matthew.

"Since the two of y'all can't do anything and _I_ have to save the day," Wesley said. "So, please stop talking about me like I'm not here and do what you gotta do."

James and Matthew exchanged strange looks with each other as they began to look for a piece of paper and a pen. Wesley looked at the front cover of the Book; the symbol of the Complete was still broken into three separate circles. But he had restored James and Matthew, he thought. He began to flip through the Book again, looking for any kind of help, but secretly wondering if he would ever come to trust his brothers again.

* * *

William fell to the floor, exhausted. Matthias clapped slowly at his son's "performance" and conjured an energy ball in his hand, preparing to throw it at William. William was too tired to move; the internal battle between his witch half and his warlock half had completely weakened him. He lie helplessly as Matthias walked towards him, tossing his energy ball up and down as he moved.

"You put on an interesting performance," Matthias said, looking down at William. "However, I am afraid that it is time to end this once and for all."

"You...cannot...kill...me..." William whispered as loudly as he could.

"I can destroy your spirit," Matthias said, "which is what I intend to do. Once I do that, you will no longer be a threat to any future generations of _witches_...if there will even _be_ future generations."

"What...have...you...done?" William managed to say, hoping that he could prolong whatever it was Matthias was planning to do.

"The very people you came to save," Matthias said, "I have rescued. That is to say, I have opened their eyes to the wonders of evil. They accepted it much more willingly than you, I am afraid. That is why you cannot be allowed to exist, not in any plane."

* * *

"You got the spell yet?" Wesley asked impatiently, still flipping through the Book.

"Yeah," Matthew said, holding up a piece of paper with writing on it. "This should free William from Matthias' hold over him."

"_These words will travel through feuding minds,  
Reuniting them as one to find  
The inner peace that lies inside;  
Conflict shall no longer reside._"

A mysterious white light engulfed each of the three brothers and then they were all gone.

* * *

_Where did they go? What the hell is going on here? I'll give y'all a sneak peek: it's the conclusion of the story up next!_


	13. Unhappily Ever After

"Goodbye, _son_," Matthias said.

He raised his arm to throw the energy ball, but just before it hit William, something reflected it back at Matthias, striking him in the chest. He was thrown into a wall by the force of his own attack. He stood up to see James, Matthew, and Wesley standing around William, helping him to stand.

"What are we doing here?" James asked.

"I guess the spell brought us here," Matthew guessed. "At least we were just in time to get to William before he did."

"Are you okay?" Wesley asked William, who still looked exhausted.

"Now that you are all here," William said, his eyes once again turning red, "I am fine."

William caught Wesley by the arm and threw him into James so hard that the two of them fell onto Matthew. He aimed his hands just above the three brothers and the stone wall exploded, sending jagged rocks and small boulders hurtling towards them. Thinking quickly, James shot both his hands into the air, creating a telekinetic barrier that held the rocks in place just above his and his brothers' heads. After a short while, though, he began to tremble as the rocks began to seem heavier and heavier.

"I can't hold them for much longer," James said, looking at William, who had rejoined Matthias.

"Freeze them," Matthew told Wesley.

"Not so fast," Matthias said, conjuring an energy ball and flinging it at Wesley.

Wesley gasped and flashed his hands, freezing Matthias' attack in time. James struggled more and more just to keep his hands outstretched, but slowly the rocks crept closer towards their heads. Matthew jumped up and charged Matthias and William, preparing to strike manually. Matthias produced another energy ball and threw it at him, but it passed harmlessly through him as he tapped into his phasing power. He was just about to reach them when William once again gestured towards him. William's explosion power knocked Matthew back into Wesley. The energy ball that Wesley had frozen earlier came out of suspended animation and continued its path towards James. With Wesley and Matthew both dazed, James reached out towards the glowing green projectile and rebounded it into a wall.

With his attention divided, the weight of the rocks overpowered him and they came crashing down. Wesley desperately reached out and froze them, hanging just millimeters over James' head. James quickly dove out of the way and the rocks slammed into the ground with incredible force.

"Bravo," Matthias said.

"William!" Matthew shouted. "Snap out of it! Can't you see what's happening here?"

"We need your help!" Wesley added. "Don't do this to us!"

William grabbed his head with both hands and shook, as if his mind were split into two and each side was fighting fiercely within him. His good side made another desperate attempt to overcome his evil half, once again throwing him into an epileptic fit. Matthias stepped forward and reached a hand out to Matthew. Matthew began moving towards him, not of his own accord. Wesley and James both grabbed his hands, but the pull was too strong for either of them.

James waved his hand and Matthias was thrown towards a wall, but before he could hit the wall, he blinked out of sight and back to his original place. He again reached out his hand and Matthew continued to inch towards him. James waved his hand again, but this time nothing happened.

"Do something!" Matthew yelled at his brothers.

"We can't!" James said. "He copied my power! Freeze him, Wesley!"

"No way!" Wesley replied. "I don't want him to have my power too!"

Matthias waved his other hand and James and Wesley were telekinetically cast into the air, slamming into the wall. They both slunk to the ground, barely conscious. He focused on Matthew, who was now within his reach. Matthew was raised higher and higher into the air until he hung thirty feet up, held there by Matthias' power. Matthias began clenching his fist and Matthew began choking; something was closing in around his throat.

"H-Help me, W-W-William!" Matthew said in between chokes.

Wesley was the first one to come to; he saw what was happening and tried to yell, but he was too weak to do anything and fell back on the ground. William saw what was happening, but the opposite forces of good and evil seemed to tear him apart from the inside. Finally, with a great effort, his good side made one last attempt to reclaim William's sense of !!!

William's eyes returned to their natural color and he was breathing heavily as if he had just finished running a marathon. He turned towards Matthias and charged him, breaking his concentration on Matthew. Matthew fell back to the ground, landing so hard on his feet that his right one broke on impact. He slithered towards his brothers and tried to wake them, but they were still out cold.

William was relentless in fighting Matthias. His newfound strength came from the intense feelings he had developed while being in conflict with himself. Meanwhile, Matthew finally got James and Wesley awake and they were all watching their first two ancestors engaged in an all-out battle. After much back and forth action, William had finally thrown Matthias onto the ground, giving him some time to get to the three brothers.

"Do you have the spell?" he asked them.

"I have _a_ spell," Wesley said slowly, giving William a strange look. "What are you, a psychic now?"

"Just give him the spell," James barked at Wesley.

Wesley gave William a piece of paper with a spell neatly written on it. It was a spell to vanquish a spirit. The only catch, though, was that it had to be read by another spirit to work. William took the paper, looked over the words for a minute, and smiled the way he did when he had first been summoned.

"_Anger, envy, wrath, and rage  
Rest you not on any plane.  
Ashes to ashes, I vanquish you now;  
Nothing left of you be found!"_

Matthias began to emit black smoke as his body shook violently. The power of the spell was tearing him apart, literally. Finally, there was a great explosion, covering the entire room in smoke. When everything was clear again, James, Matthew, Wesley, and William were more than surprised to see Matthias still standing in the same place. He was obviously affected by the spell, but nevertheless he was still alive, so to speak.

"Why didn't it work?" James whispered.

"Damn," Matthew said back. "The Angel of Death is still trapped somewhere."

"So?" James asked.

"Don't you pay any attention?" Wesley said through his teeth. "As long as the Death guy is trapped, nothing can die or return back to the dead."

"So the big question is," Matthew said, keeping one eye on Matthias, "how do we set him free?"

"You have to use your power as the Complete," William said to them. "It is the only power strong enough to free him from the Council."

"The Council?" Wesley asked. "The Council of what?"

"Of," William said, "Evil. The point is that you three have to tap into all of the power that you possess. The Council is made up of the most evil beings known. You alone have the power to free the Angel."

"So what do we do?" Matthew asked.

"Whatever you do," William said, "you must do it now. I will ward off Matthias as long as I can."

"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do now?" Wesley asked frantically, turning to watch Matthias every few seconds. "He's hurt now, but he won't be for long!"

"Another spell, maybe?" James suggested.

"Worth a try," Matthew said. "How about...I don't know..._Hear us now, hear our cry...Keeper of the Great Divide...Break the chains...that have you bound, _what's his name again? Is it Than-something?"

"I can't remember," James said, rubbing his head. "It starts with a 'TH.'"

"Thandor?" Wesley asked blankly. "No, no, no! It's Thor!"

"That sounds stupid," Matthew said. "I think it was Thanobia or something like that."

"That's a girl's name!" Wesley said. "Maybe Thanobi_o_!"

"Thumbelina?" James asked. "That sounds familiar..."

"Too easy," Wesley said under his breath. "What the hell is that guy's name?"

"THANOS!" William yelled from across the dark room. He was struggling to keep Matthias subdued.

"That's it!" Matthew said.

"_Hear us now, hear our cry,  
Keeper of the Great Divide.  
Break the chains that have you bound;  
We summon you, Thanos, right here, right now!"_

A blinding flash illuminated the room, causing everyone to cover their eyes. As the light died down, Thanos stood in the center of the room, between the Complete and William and Matthias. He looked disoriented for a brief moment, but saw who was around him and soon figured everything out for himself.

"Hello? Hi!" Wesley said, getting Thanos' attention. "We have a surly spirit over there who needs to go to hell. Can you do something about it?"

"As a matter of fact," Thanos said, "I believe that William can do something better."

"No!" Matthias shouted, managing to push William off of him. "I cannot be defeated!"

"Is that his motto or something?" Wesley mumbled.

Having copied James' power earlier, Matthias forcefully threw everyone around him into a wall, disengaging them temporarily. Only Thanos stood unaffected.

"Freeze him now!" James ordered. Wesley, still dazed, gestured towards Matthias and he froze in motion.

"Read the spell again, William," Matthew said.

"_Anger, envy, wrath, and rage  
Rest you not on any plane.  
Ashes to ashes, I vanquish you now;  
Nothing left of you be found!"_

Matthias broke out of Wesley's freeze, but it was too late; the spell had taken effect. The black smoke that had emitted from Matthias' body earlier reappeared. Matthias screamed as the power of the spell ripped his body apart from the inside. Thanos smiled slightly and faded into thin air. As he did, Matthias burst into nothing; his spirit had been vanquished. The shockwaves of the powerful explosion blew rocks and dust around the mysterious chamber. Minutes passed before anyone said anything.

"Is it over?" Wesley asked.

"Yes," William answered. "Matthias is gone...for good this time."

"About time," Matthew mumbled. "And everything is back to normal then?"

"Yes," William said.

"No!" Wesley quickly cut in. "My dorm room is still in pieces and there's still that little part about y'all kicking my ass for no reason."

"There was a reason..." James said under his breath.

"It wasn't our fault," Matthew said. "We were possessed."

"Oh yeah?" Wesley argued. "Evil doesn't just create feelings inside you. It takes what's already there and magnifies it. Y'all were acting on your actual feelings about me; evil just took away the hesitation."

"Listen," James said.

"No I will not listen," Wesley said. "Now I know how y'all feel about me, even after what we've all just been through. And not just this; the entire time I've known both of y'all I've gotten this weird treatment. I don't know what y'all's problem is with me, but I'm not gonna sit around and wait for an answer. I'm out of here."

Wesley turned around to leave, but noticed that there seemed to be no kind of entrance _or_ exit anywhere. In fact, the entire place was just a sealed chamber.

"William," Wesley said. "how do we get out of...wherever we are?"

"The power that brought you here," William explained, "will take you back. I must take my leave now. While I too must apologize for my behavior, Wesley, I will say that it has been both a pleasure and a great honor to have met you three, the Complete. I can rest in peace now knowing that future generations will be safe. Until we meet again..."

And with those words, William disappeared in a white light, leaving James, Matthew, and Wesley alone in the room. Matthew was propped up on James' shoulder; his broken foot wouldn't allow him to stand alone. Wesley stood about ten feet away from either of them with his back turned. He just wanted to leave and never see them again. In fact, he wished that none of this had ever happened to him in the first place. Although having a magical power was cool, he admitted, it wasn't worth the sacrifice of a normal life. To add to that, he didn't want his courage to be tested every time a demon or warlock or evil being attacked, which would happen all the time now. _I never signed on for any of that crap_, he thought.

"Look," Matthew said. "I understand how you're feeling right now, Wesley, but I don't think that just leaving is the answer. At least let's get back to Oxford so we can talk about this."

"I don't want to talk about anything rationally!" Wesley snapped back. "Y'all don't understand what it felt like to be nearly killed by someone, let alone my own so called _brothers_! I know that siblings pick on each other, but that was just ridiculous. Who's to say that it won't happen again? I mean, if there's warlock blood in us, any of these events could easily repeat themselves."

"We'll just make sure that they won't," James said calmly. "Believe it or not, Wesley, we're all in this together."

"We used to be," Wesley said, finally turning to face James and Matthew. "We're not anymore..."

* * *

_Intense, I would say! And that concludes episode number 2 in my Complete series! It may be a slight pause before I start episode 3, but here's an idea to keep y'all informed: the tension between Wesley and his brothers, more demons, and the hardships of college will all be covered! Can't give too much away, you know!_


End file.
